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Continuing Actions Epilogue and Conclusion
EPILOGUE THOSE WHO’VE FOUGHT in Iraq and Afghanistan have an historic opportunity to redefine the veteran’s experience for future generations of American warriors. How? By approaching the challenges of coming home as integral components of the warrior’s journey, not as aberrations that only affect the weak. America’s relationship with her veterans has matured to a point where invisible wounds are socially understood to be unavoidable consequences of sending troops to war. It is time we, [...]
Continuing Actions Chapter 11
AS UNSELFISH AS IT GETS “Cover me, I’m fucked!” “Fuck you—I’m covered!” —Conversation between two grunts at Thermopylae, Fallujah, and every battle in-between IT DOESN’T MATTER if you’re a grunt, an admin clerk, motor transport, or a high-speed, low-drag recon guy, there’s somebody in your unit who’s a selfish prick. This guy—or gal—always makes sure they’re taken care of first. Their pay is never screwed up, their vehicle always has the chow and water in it, [...]
Continuing Actions Chapter 10
"DOC!" BY THIS POINT IN MY JOURNEY, I figured I had it all under control. My self-aid consisted of spearfishing and free-diving to quiet the physical aftereffects of combat and writing to understand the emotional ones. I had developed my self-awareness to the point where I was able to understand the genesis of my emotions and reactions significantly better than before. I felt I had successfully moved past my combat experiences and had really, finally, [...]
Continuing Actions Chapter 9
LOOK AT IT "By itself, reconstructing the trauma does not address the social or relational dimension of the traumatic experience. It is a necessary part of the recovery process, but it is not sufficient." —Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery, p.183 I HAD A GOOD FRIEND in college who loved to get hammered and expose himself in public. More than once I lost track of him while stumbling home from the bars only to find him [...]
Continuing Actions Chapter 8
KUM BAY YAH, ANYONE? "In the second stage of recovery, the survivor tells the story of the trauma. She tells it completely, in depth and in detail. This work of reconstruction actually transforms the traumatic memory, so that it can be integrated into the survivor’s life story." —Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery, p.175 TO UNDERSTAND THE EMOTIONAL effects of your experiences, you must tell your own true narrative. Don’t get freaked out—this isn’t some New-Age, [...]
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